Alex Nicholson picks up heavyweight win, aims for UFC return

Four-time UFC veteran Alex Nicholson (8-4) is looking for a return to the sport’s top promotion, but he’s hoping to do so in a new division.

“The Spartan,” who competed in the UFC once at light heavyweight and three times more at middleweight, picked up a win on the regional stage at heavyweight and believes he could potentially make some noise in the octagon in the class, as well.

Nicholson earned a first-round stoppage over Demoreo Dennis at Saturday night’s Next Level Fight Club 8 event in Raleigh, N.C. Check out the video above to see the action.

Nicholson’s win did not come without some controversy. His opponent’s brother, fellow MMA fighter Myron Dennis, took to Facebook prior to the fight to suggest in a since-deleted post that Nicholson had been caught taking performance-enhancing drugs “in the bathroom just before the fight.”

Nicholson said the claims were ridiculous and insisted he had simply been in the bathroom with his wife and 12-week-old son, who accompanied him on the eight-hour drive to the fight.

“We were in the bathroom with our baby,” Nicholson told MMAjunkie. “All I brought was her and my baby to come do this fight. I didn’t have anybody, but Marcus Davis happened to be there – the old ‘Irish Hand Grenade.’ He held mitts for me and wrapped my hands.

“Not many guys can say that they took a drive with their wife and baby to go fight, knocked the guy out and got back in the car and drove back home. Derek Brunson was there, and he was like, ‘No way I’d be able to do that. It’s giving my anxiety just looking at you.'”

Further supporting his case, Nicholson fought most recently under the UFC banner in May and said he was still enrolled in the UFC’s official anti-doping program, administered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, until just before stepping into the cage on Saturday night.

“I got tested by USADA like last week, too, just before they cut me off of the testing pool,” Nicholson said. “A guy showed up at the gym. So it’s just ridiculous that people would say that. I’m like, ‘Do you even know what guys on steroids look like?’ I’ve been eating Oreos in public. Leave me the (expletive) alone.”

Nicholson currently plans to fight again next month in Florida but would happily change his plans should the UFC come calling – and he’d really like the opportunity to fight at November’s UFC Fight Night 121 event in Sydney.

“I would really like to get on the Australia card,” Nicholson said. “I’d be willing to be a Fight Pass guy or whatever. I don’t know if they’re totally interested in bringing me back at heavyweight until I make a little more noise, but I knocked out Chase Sherman at heavyweight, so I beat a guy who’s having success in the UFC in that division. I beat a dude who was 9-0 and on his way, apparently – that Dillon Cleckler kid – and I don’t think he ever fought again.

“I’m doing this because I love it, but I’m doing this to support my family, so I’m going to be picking up as many fights as possible until Sean Shelby or Mick Maynard calls me.”